The Tennessee Early Childhood Training Alliance (TECTA) is a statewide professional development and support system for teachers of children birth to age 12. TECTA aims to provide early childhood professionals with career development and higher education support.

TECTA programs include orientation, tuition assistance, support in earning a Child Development Associate Credential (CDA), administrator credential support, accreditation assistance, and training on the Tennessee Early Learning Development Standards.

The TECTA Orientation includes a free 30-hour early childhood education program that focuses on the areas of center-based child care, infant/toddler care, family child care, school-age child care, and administrative training.

The Vanderbilt Center on the Social and Emotional Foundations for Early Learning (CSEFEL) provides four training modules to help infant/toddler caregivers support and promote healthy social and emotional behavioral development of infants and toddlers in child care settings. Components of these modules include social-emotional development within the context of relationships; responsive routines and environments; individualized intensive intervention; and development of effective leadership strategies to promote effective practices in preventing and addressing challenging behavior. These components are embedded in the TECTA Orientation and academic coursework.

The TECTA program is funded through annual grants from the Tennessee Department of Human Services. Grant money is awarded to university partner sites across the state. TECTA sites provide services to all 95 counties across Tennessee.